The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-06-01
SHABBY REMINDERS.
The lnartstic and Clumsy MODumsAts and
Memorials Of New York.
Jerry McCaeIey's FOuntain-DOdge'sS Statue
The worth MOnumsnt-"rhe Old
Masters ?"-Daly's Season.
Especial Correspondence of the sentiuel.l


New York, May 26.-Passing the little
spot of green at the intersection of Broad
way and Sixth avenue, at Thirty second
street, suddenly came upon the iron
fountain erected to the memory of Jerry
McCauley, which had been newly painted
a glazing yellow hue. If there is any
thing we do that is more lacking in taste
than the subjects and designs of our city
statues and monuments il is the care we
take of them Some of the subjects,
like Jerry McCauley, for instance, have
30 possible claim to such
public recognition as fountain
on a much-frequented public square. Nc
Cauley was originally hummer" then
he sold bad liquor to drunken sailors IN
til the shipping act broke up the sailors
lodging houses; then Jerry got religion"
and ever afterward during his life he played
the christian charity act, and saved souls
temporarily in a little religious dance and
sacred music hall in Thlrty-second street.
Then he died, and lot of good old souls,
with more money and charity than taste or
common sense, got up shabby drinking
fountain and set 1t up where its hideous-
ness could be seen by all passers-by. Atthe
other end of the same square is an absurd
statue Of William E. Dodge, an old mer-
chant, who lodged around doing cOnsidera.
bic good with his money, but not in such
way as to entitle him to have his moDu-
inert erected in the public street instead Of
on his own private burial lot in Greenwood.
1t was always a shabby-looking article of
cheap bronze manufacture-he was in the
tin line, and, appropriately, his monu-
ment should have been maze of that metal
but il looks shabbier with each passing
month. They ought either to put on
layer of FURNISHED tin to commemorate his
trade, or paint it yellow ito make it CORE
spond with Jerry McCauley' fountain. The
birds in the park have made eye.sores of the
many figures there. They have builded nests
In Shakspeare's hand and in Hunbol6t's
capacious ear, while frequent rains are
necessary to remove the tracings of their
rVostings on every figure in the public
squares and parks. There is but one piece
OF genuine statuary in Madison Square
that of Lafayette, by Bartholdi Those of
Lincoln and Washington, facing each other
from opposite sides of the square, are hide
Gus in design and ridiculous in their lux
opposition. Lafayette appears to be throw
ing baseball to Washington, and Lin
celn looks like an umpire watching to de-
eide whether it is to be an "out" or not.
The pretentious Worth monument, on
Madison Square, is diminutiye obelisk
of granite, without any special design, that
any one can see, and without grace or
beauty. L never come upon the FArragut
monument, in the same square, with its
semi-circuIar base and clumsy bas-reliefs.
but unc0nsciously look to fad sign on il
For Gentlemen Only" The statue of
Liberty, on top of City Hall, has recently
been found to be made of wood, and is as
rotten as the Beard of Aldermen within
the hall. 1t is 10 be torn down, lest it
crumble to pieces.
AL art seems to be suffering Just now
from the iconoclests who are ready to de-
molish everything they see. A genuine
Salvador Rosa, figuring in suit for dam
ages here, and valued by the owner at $40
goo, turns out to have once been IN Gin
ciDDsti beer saloon which ex Governor
Hoadly frequented, and is worth, artist
experts say, less than 500. Incidentally in
this trial, an artist named George z. Hall,
being asked if he considered the collection
of old masters in the Metropolitan Museum
of Art genuine, replied, rather brusquely
as well as broadly, that he did not, and no
artist did consider the collection genuine.
Mr.. Hall spoke not only for all artists, but
spoke condemnatory of all the old masters
In the collection. The catalogue of the
Museum does not pretend that the paint
ings there are by genuine old masters, but
doubtless some of them are; and Mr..
Halls sweeping assertion is as baseless as
his assumption to speak for all artists is
bumptious.
By the way, General Di Cesmola, d.
rector of the Museum, calls my attention
to the fact that in my statement that the
trustees had to put their hands into their
own pockets to the tune Of $50 900 year
to psy the expenses of the building which
the city ought to pay, placed the amount,
81, GOO, below the actual figures; and, in
this connection, he gives me the curious
table published below, showing the current
expenses of the present building, and the
estimate submitted to the trustees for the
whole building when the new one is
completed.